


The Family We Choose

by Captain_Holland



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel
Genre: A Functional Dysfunctional Family, Accidental Child Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Neglect, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, M/M, Psychological Trauma, Slow Build, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-30 13:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6425689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Holland/pseuds/Captain_Holland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt finds a little orphan after a raid in a human trafficking ring. Knowing like no other how damaging an orphanage can be, he roams aimlessly  through the streets of Hell's kitchen with the child in his arms and no clue what to do. </p><p>Thankfully, there's Frank.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fill of this prompt in the Daredevil Kinkmeme: here
> 
> Beware of the tags named above. I can ensure you though that the pain and misery will be over for the most part after the first chapter.

What first happened was the raid. That one particular night had been hot and claustrophobic. The stench of sweat and ill intensions had hit Matt's senses as hard as a punch to the face would've. The warehouse he had been watching for quite a while now was close to the docks, and it wasn't until the third night that some action finally happened. 

A boat moved slowly but steadily through the waves to the warehouse. Perhaps it was painted black, because Matt could not think of another reason how the boat could've gone through the shore patrol. Or maybe there was bribery involved. It didn't matter to Matt, because even when the boat had still been miles away, he had heard the dozens of frantic heartbeats in one of the containers it was carrying. This wasn't just about smuggling drugs into the country, after all. It dealt in humans instead of cocaine.

Matt was perched on top of the roof and he bend his head lower so he could hear the soft whispers among the men roaming around below. Some sounded excited and greedy, and it made Matt sick to the stomach. But this was exactly the reason why he dressed up every night as the Devil himself. To make a difference. To actually help people directly, instead of defending them as a lawyer when harm had already been done to them. Tonight was no difference.

And yet it was.

Matt waited until the boat was docked and the container was loaded on shore, and then slided down a rain pipe to the ground. A surprised shout came from the dark, and Matt cursed himself for not being more careful. He quickly dived behind some crates to hide from the round of bullets that were wildly sent in his direction, and using the cover of them he creeped closer to the unsuspecting men. They had stopped firing and were slowly moving forward in the direction they had first seen him. Not one of them realized that he might have moved to somewhere else when they were too preoccupied. Bad for them, good for him.

He emerged from his crouching position and dragged the one closest to him to the ground with his hand on the man's mouth so he wouldn't alert his friends. Matt neatly knocked the man unconscious and did the same with three more guys until he was spotted again at last. 

Another bullet now barely grazed him, and with a grunt he jumped from a crate on top of the last man standing, the one who had laughed so hard before on his joke about the scared human slaves they had just bought, and if Matt gave him maybe a few more punches than was necessary, he wouldn't like to admit it. 

It was over almost as soon as it had started. It was awfully quiet now in the container and for a moment Matt was afraid that something had been done to them when he wasn't paying attention.

He hurried over, and with a few kicks he broke the lock and opened up the doors. Inside he could feel dozens of eyes trained on him, and he quickly held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"It's alright. You are save now. Help is on the way. You're save. It's over."

The inhabitants of the filthy container poured out and most of them were holding each other tight in support and comfort. Sobs filled the air, and Matt could hear them talk in foreign languages he couldn't place. In the distance the sirens of ambulances and police cars were getting closer. Soon these people would get the medical attention they needed, and the would stay at a safe place somewhere. They were all female, which was to be expected from a typical human trafficking ring. Still, it disgusted him that things like this happened in the world. No matter what he did to keep human traffickers and all the rest of them behind bars, there were always other men to replace them. It was a seemingly never ending cycle of pain and suffering. But he had to try, right? To make a difference, as small as it was. And yet. These women were safe now. But they were not the only ones out there.

Matt wanted to turn around to find a quiet spot somewhere in the shadows to stay and make sure the police handled everything alright, but then something caught his attention. At first he couldn't really place what _exactly_ seemed off to him, but then he spotted it with a realization that made his own heart skip a beat in shock.

A girl. Not even a teenage girl, but- How old could she be?

Matt slowly walked back to the container and stood in front of it. There she was, all the way in the back in a corner. She had made herself as small as possible and Matt's heart broke. 

"Hey," he said softly and reached a hand inside. The girl didn't move, but he could feel her eyes on him. Matt looked behind him and saw that all the women were standing far enough from the container that they couldn't hear him. Their attention was entirely focused on the sound of hope that were the sirens.

Matt made a radical descision and pulled off his mask to make himself look a lot less threatening. Even though the stench of human excrements was almost unbearable, he pulled himself into the container and remained sitting at the edge of it.

"Hi. My name is Matt. What's yours?" 

No answer. The heartbeat of the girl did slow down a little, and she lifted her head from her thin arms. Dear God, she seemed so _small_ , so delicate. She truly couldn't be older than three.

He jumped violently when a hand was placed on his shoulder, and he realized that it was one of the young women. 

"She alone. Parents killed. No talk," she tried to tell him as clear as possible. She didn't seem surprised or excited to see him without a mask, but that was because she didn't know who he was exactly, of course. He only hoped she wouldn't tell the cops she saw his face. 

"Jesus Christ," Matt muttered as the woman hurried away again to comfort a woman that had begun crying hysterically when the shock of what happened to her finally settled in, apparently. Matt quickly crossed himself. He didn't recognize this particular feeling of utter shock. The pure pain of the women around him, and then this little girl. He had never prepared himself for a situation in which a child got hurt like this. She was only _a kid_ , not even old enough yet for kindergarten. Matt himself had been a lot older when he lost everything, but he couldn't even imagine what the girl was going through right now. 

"I'm coming to get you, okay? I will bring you to the other girls, in the fresh air. Come on, everything's okay. Or it at least will be, I promise."

Matt kept talking in a calm, soft voice, and even though the girl still didn't move towards him, she didn't get anymore scared than she already was. When he finally was at the back of the container and had pulled the girl up in his arms, he felt two thin arms lock around his neck in a surprisingly tight grip for such a small being. Her little heart beat steadily against his own, and he heard how she calmed down enough for their heartbeats to almost sound at the exact same times. His throat had become suddenly a lot tighter and dryer.

When Matt jumped out of the container and left the stench and misery behind, he heard that the police had arrived. Not knowing why, Matt quickly jumped into the shadows and stood watching from a safe distance with the girl in his arms. 

She felt as delicate as he had sensed. Her hair was filthy and messy and reached far over her shoulders. She was only wearing a ratty old t-shirt and a diaper that hadn't been changed in weeks, the poor thing. Because of his heightened sense, the smell almost made him faint, but his willpower was stronger than that. He was not going to faint because of something as trivial as that, when it was the girl who had to live inside that smell and feeling for weeks on end.  
Her strong heartbeat was a reassurance though that she was okay, at least physically, and her grip around his neck was so tight that he had difficulty breathing properly. Or was that because of that strange feeling, the one that told him to never let her go so no harm would ever come to her again? 

Brett was among the police officers at the scene, talking to the women and making sure they were getting medical treatment at the amulances. For a moment Matt thought about going to him, but then he realized he still wasn't wearing the mask. And besides, Brett would take her away from him. Matt could not let that happen. Not yet. 

And so he disappeared from the scene, after having snatched his mask away from the opening of the container. The woman who had talked to him looked over at him for a second, but then lowered her gaze. Somehow he knew that she wasn't going to tell anyone about what she saw. 

 

~~~~~~~

 

What was he doing? Matt didn't have a clue. He should've handed the girl over to the police when he had the chance, and yet here he was. He felt like a weirdo carrying a child like this without a clear destination in mind. Should he walk her to the police station? Or the hospital? He couldn't just... _do_ that, even though he knew that was the only realistic option he had. The girl needed help, not a guy who refused to hand her over to the people who could help her just because of _his_ reservations. She was an orphan, just like him. Maybe that was the reason he didn't want her to be sent to an orphanage, like he was. Even if they treated her kindly there, it wouldn't be enough. She wouldn't be loved and it wouldn't be a stable and safe home for her. 

But what did Matt know about safety? He was the one putting himself in danger night after night. Lawyer by day, Devil at night. 

"We're going to find you a clean diaper, that's one thing for sure," he whispered into the girl's dirty locks and she made a sound that sounded more like a sigh in response. After checking her heartbeat he realized she was sleeping. Even in the middle of chaos and fear, children had to get their sleep. Matt put a protective hand on her back and stood still at the edge of the industrial grounds. He was tired, and his brain didn't work properly anymore after being awake for so long. Maybe-

A sound to his right made him look up with a start. He was glad that he had put his mask on again, but he relaxed a little when he smelled the gunpowder and cigarette smoke in the air, and the strong, steady heartbeat that could only belong to Frank Castle.

"'The fuck, Red?" 

Frank came closer, clearly confused, and Matt could now sense the rifle Frank was carrying in his arms. Matt involuntarily turned away from Frank to protect the girl, which resulted in an even more surprised grunt from the man. 

"Seriously, Red, where the Hell does that kid come from? Why-" Frank was now close enough to be able to see and smell the dirty diaper the child was in, and he stopped with a start. Before Frank could open his mouth again, Matt quickly interrupted him.

"She's an orphan. The Mexicans, from the docks - they turned out to be human traffickers instead of just drug smugglers. She- She was in one of the containers, with other women." Matt paused for a second. "Look, I just... I couldn't just hand her over to the cops. You don't- She would get into one of those orphanages, and I- I just can't-"

A rough, calloused hand clasped his shoulder, while the other carefully brushed aside a dirty strand of hair from the girl's face. All of a sudden Frank was standing very close to him, far closer than he's ever been before, and Matt held in his breath without knowing why. He and Frank had always had a... strange realtionship, to say the least. Nine out of ten times they would beat the living Hell out of each other when they came across each other, and then that other one time they would... talk. Just sit down on a rooftop talking about little things like how Champ, Frank's rescued pit bull, had found a new loving home with a family that could give him more love and attention than he would ever need in his dog life. Champ was a favorite subject of Frank's, and Matt liked to listen. 

Matt couldn't read minds, but he knew that Frank was thinking about his family. About his own little girl and what had happened to her. How-

"We'll need diapers, obviously. But not too much, she should be potty trained soon. Food, blankets, a little bed, some play things... I'll fetch everything. What's your address, Red?"

Matt blinked at that. He wasn't sure if he should react to the fact Frank, tougher than nails, just said 'potty trained', or to Frank asking him where he lived so he knew where to drop of toddler supplies. Or the mention of 'we'. 

"Eh?" He said intelligently after a pause. "Frank, we can't-"

"Sure we can, Red. I sure as shit ain't gonna let that girl get sent to some crazy nuns. No offense," Frank added as a lazy afterthought, but Matt knew he didn't really mean it. But to be honest, Matt had to agree with him. He was very likely going to regret this the next day, but for now the girl needed shelter. And that was something Matt could provide. So, shoot him, but he gave his address to Frank. To a man who was called The Punisher and with whom he fought more than that he talked with. He didn't even _know_ Frank, he only had a biased perception of him. 

And yet, there Frank went, a guy with a rifle and dressed to his toes in millitary gear, ready to buy diapers like it was nothing. Perhaps it really was nothing to him, as he had done this probably plenty of times before as a father. 

_When_ he was a father. 

 

So yeah. This may not have been the first time Daredevil and The Punisher worked together, but it _was_ the first time for Matt and Frank, the people.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Matt had climbed the stairs to his apartment, the girl woke up again. Momentarily her heartbeat spiked, but once she turned her head around and looked up at him, she calmed down again. Still, her little hands clutched his neck almost uncomfortably, and when he wanted to put her carefully down on the couch she refused to let go. 

Instead, Matt began to walk in circles through his apartment wondering about what the hell to do. Everything went different than he wanted this night. Not only did he find himself suddenly to be the protector of a three year old, but he also gave up his address to a dangerous man who was now going to find out that the man he called Red all the time was actually his attorney, Matt Murdock. His _blind_ attorney. That was going to be an awkward conversation. Especially since Matt didn't know if his identity was going to better or worse their already uncomfortable relationship.

And yet. Tonight he saw someone that Frank had pushed very deep away - a man who cared, and who could be as harmless as a fly. A father. Now, he had suddenly jumped seamlessly back into the role of a parent. He had mentioned things that Matt hadn't even thought about - how could he, he still didn't know whether he should bring the girl to the cops, or- Or where? Where could he be certain that she would be safe and happy? This was Hell's Kitchen, and given her background it would be very difficult to find an adoptive family for her. Who knew what kind of baggage this child - only about three - carried around with her. She should see some kind of psychiatrist, to deal with her trauma. And was it normal that she still hadn't said a single word? Was it just because she was still scared or in shock? 

A loud scratching sound came suddenly from the windows, and Matt looked up with a start. After a few seconds though, Matt recognized the smell of gunpowder even with a wall between them, and he hurried to open the window before Frank could get impatient and smash in a window. 

"How did you know that this was my apartment?" Matt asked in bewilderment as Frank swiftly put a leg through the window with his arms full of- diapers? It had to be, there was something soft in them and the smell somehow made him immediately think; 'babies'. 

"Well, believe it or not but there aren't that many apartments that have a guy wearing a superhero costume in their living room. Anyway, you told me where you lived, right? Don't you think I can do the math?" Frank didn't wait for a reply as he dropped all of the diapers and other bags on the ground, and instead disappeared through the window again to pick up a larger package. Matt hovered around awkwardly with arms growing heavy under the girl's weight, but Frank got the package through the window with a few pushes that were so harsh that Matt could hear a faint cracking deep inside of the wood. Before the package could drop on the ground with a bang, Frank grabbed it with surprising speed for a man of his width. 

"Can't wake up the kid, right?" Frank rasped in a rough whisper that made the tiny hairs in Matts neck rise. Matt scraped his throat to hide his strange reaction, and Matt listened to the girl's heartbeat. Frank was right - the girl was beginning to doze off again, but she still appeared to be listening to her surroundings. 

"Frank- I... I _really_ don't know what to say right now," Matt said slowly as he looked at what Frank had brought with him. The man hadn't been lying; he had brought everything he had mentioned, and then some. Matt could almost start a day care for toddlers if he wanted to. And he did _not_ plan on doing something like that anytime soon. "Jesus. How much-"

"Shut up," Frank interrupted him matter of factly. "The less you know about me and my fundings, the better, Red. And Jesus fuck, why is it so dark in here? Can't you put on a light or something?"

Matt opened his mouth to either make an excuse about the lights not working or to chastise the other man for his language, but Frank wasn't a man to wait around for answers. He just answered them himself, which he showed by walking over to a light switch and turning it on. 

For the first time in a very long time the apartment got flooded in light, and Matt could feel it slightly burning in his eyes. The flames in his vision got a little brighter, and he felt a headache beginning to form just behind his right eye. That sometimes happened, combined with the stress and adrenaline he was under most of the time, whether that was in the court room or on the streets at night as Daredevil.

While he was busy trying to blink away his forming headache, Frank had gotten closer again. Matt could feel his eyes burn into his, and he awkwardly shifted the girl in his arms to relieve the pressure on them a little. Frank got closer still, and Matt could feel his breath on his cheek as Frank looked down at the girl's face. 

"Huh. Give her up, she needs a new diaper. I don't wanna know how long she's been walking around in that." 

"I don't think she had the opportunity to walk much in that container," Matt said, letting out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. After a moment of hesitation, he tried to turn the girl over to Frank. She woke up again during that, and made a noise of displeasement. But Frank made small comforting sounds and talked to her in a voice that was almost shocking for Matt to hear. Normally, the man's voice was as harsh and rough as sandpaper, but talking to the girl turned his voice in something soft and comforting. Matt even relaxed himself a little just listening to it. The girl released her hold around Matt's neck at last and put them around Frank's instead. Frank lifted her up in a way that was clear that he had done this numerous times before, and he walked over to Matt's salon table.

"Toss that over, Red. And those wipes, too. Make yourself useful for once." 

Matt huffed at that, but then realized Frank hadn't meant it in a spiteful way. And he was right, of course. So far he had done nothing but holding the girl, but in his own defense - he knew absolutely zero about children. _Especially_ nothing about such young kids. 

Matt threw a package as big as a duffelbag to Frank's right and then went over there himself to sit on the couch. Frank had dropped to his knees and skillfully manoeuvred himself around the whole changing diaper thing. Matt pushed away his thoughts about the unsanitary way his table was being used, and he tried to not breathe in through his nose when the dirty diaper finally got off. Even Frank appeared to have trouble with breathing as he used the wipes to clean the girl. The girl lied perfectly still through all of this, but she made a content noise when she was finally a lot cleaner than she had been for weeks.

"She needs a bath before I put on a new one. Bathroom?" 

"Eh, yeah. Follow me." Matt jumped up again and led the way to his small bathroom. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and ran the hot water. Frank sat down beside him, and Matt could hear him turn the cold water on a little too. Of course, he wasn't running a bath for himself, but for a little kid. It probably wasn't the right course of action to put her into too hot water. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, with Frank holding the girl in his arms like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. And perhaps it was, for him. Matt himself had felt a little uncomfortable at first, but after a while that feeling went away. He couldn't deny that he was growing attached to her way too fast and way too much for his own good. It was nice of Frank to buy a whole baby room interior for him, but Matt couldn't possibly keep the girl. She wasn't a stray dog he had found on the streets. Hell, even a dog he couldn't take care of with his demanding job during both the daytime as the nighttime. It just wasn't a realistic option for him to keep her. As an attorney he knew better than anyone that a child couldn't just be adopted like that. And yet, here he was, together with Frank in a too small space, still hidden away in his too tight suit that was growing more uncomfortable by the second because of the warm damps coming from the water. He was perspiring way too much, and having _Frank_ so close did not help either. 

"You look not quite as cool and dangerous in the light, Red. More like a guy going to one of them conventions, you know?" Frank barked out a rough laugh that made the girl look up startled for a moment, but as soon as she saw that the sound wasn't meant in a harmful way, she relaxed again. Her little hands were tugging at one of the straps on Frank's bulletproof jacket, but Frank didn't seem to mind it much.  
Matt felt the man's gaze on him again, looking at him in a scrutinizing way, and Matt's shoulders hunched up a little before he could help himself. He didn't reply.

"Ah, come on, just messing with you. You look really tough, okay?" Now Matt couldn't help but snort, and Frank's mouth split in a grin that Matt wished he could see. He could feel it, if only he-

"It wasn't made to look cool, but to protect myself against things like straying bullets," Matt said dryly. 

"You gonna keep bringing that up? What are you, five? I told you that if I had wanted you dead, you would had been by now." Frank nudged painfully at Matt's leg with one of his heavy boots - which was definitely going to leave a bruise - and Frank reached over to turn of the water. Frank put the girl on her bottom in the bath tub, and tugged the dirty rag that was supposed to be a t-shirt over her head. The girl uttered a surprised sound at the feel of the warm water that reached to her middle, and then hit with one of her hands on the surface of the water so it splashed up. Matt could be wrong, but he thought that the girl's face changed into something that could be a smile - but he couldn't be sure. 

Frank held a hand on the back of the girl to keep her steady as he used the showerhead to clean her hair. Frank forgot to bring shower supplies for her, so he had to use the shampoo that Matt normally used. Something told Matt that the girl wouldn't mind if she smelled like girly things or manly things. While Frank cleaned her hair, she created a little game that only she seemed to understand. The water went regularly over the edge of the tub, but Matt didn't mind. 

Soon, the girl was as clean as she could ever be, and Frank dried her carefully with the softest towel Matt could find, and the girl even _giggled_ when Frank counted all of her fingers and toes 'to make sure they were all there'. Even though it was just a universal way of cleaning her without her getting impatient, Matt thanked God that she really _did_ still have all of her toes and fingers. Apart from being a little malnourished and dehydrated, she was fine. Matt needed to tell himself that a couple of times to really believe it.

The sun had already begun to rise when the girl finally got a new diaper and brand new pyjamas with dogs on them. He and Frank argued for a minute whether Frank should quickly put together the little bed that was in the large package, but when the child fell asleep on the couch the argument stopped.

He and Frank stood watching her sleep for awhile in silence, but by the way Frank's breathing changed, Matt knew that he was going to ask him something. 

"Who are you really, Red? I think I deserve to know that. And I'm gonna find out sooner than later anyway, 'cause I'm not gonna to just leave her here with you. You know jack shit about kids, that much I do know."

Matt clenched his teeth and thought it over for a minute. Frank was being reasonable, but it was still _Frank_. The Punisher. If he knew Matt's identity, he could use it against him. But did it really matter anymore? Frank knew his address. With just a little research he would find out that the apartment was listed under the name of one Matt Murdock. It was better to just tell him. Or rather, show him.

"Fine. _Fine_. But- Don't freak out or anything. And let me explain it before you either punch me or jump out of the window." 

Frank narrowed his eyes at that, but did what he was asked for once and shut his mouth. Good.

"You see that stick over there?" Matt gestured behind Frank at the table, where his seeing stick lay on a cabinet.

Frank turned around and spotted what Matt was talking about. Matt could almost hear the wheels turning inside Frank's head, and he knew that the man was confused about what he was seeing, exactly. But when he turned around again, he saw Matt Murdock where Daredevil had just stood, twisting the mask uneasily in his hands and with a nervous look on his face.

"Now," Matt began after a few tense seconds, "you promised that you wouldn't-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! :P
> 
> And I lied - the girl will get a name in the next chapter, probably. ~


End file.
